


The Challenger

by Jingle



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Ruby & Sapphire & Emerald | Pokemon Ruby Sapphire Emerald Versions
Genre: Champion May, F/F, Femslash Friday, Reunions, Spoilers, possible age changes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 16:26:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3536207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jingle/pseuds/Jingle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three years after she becomes Hoenn's new Champion, May is asked to step in for Steven in the role. It's less than ideal... Until an unexpected challenger comes along. SPOILERS for DELTA EPISODE of ORAS.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Challenger

Three years or so after May became Hoenn’s Champion, all through which she held the title, Steven asked if she would mind formally taking on the mantle. This would mean providing a challenging battle for trainers who beat the Elite Four, and involved a whole lot of staying put, something Steven was ready to have a break from. May had been hesitant. She loved to travel with her Pokémon; she loved feeling free to roam.

Still, she felt she owed Steven a debt of gratitude, considering all his guidance and wisdom, so she agreed. Steven did promise not to be gone long, and it wasn’t _that_ bad. The battles were exhilarating, May had to admit, and she always had her Pokémon to pass the time with between battles. She also had Brendan; her best friend visited often. He always had some new story to tell about his experiences doing field research, and May was so happy that _he_ was happy that she didn’t feel as jealous as she would have guessed she’d be.

But it was still hard. Her Sceptile, Smirks, seemed fine with the more relaxed life as long as it didn’t go _too_ long between battles, but the others seemed restless. May did her best to entertain them – and herself – by playing little games; like bouncing balls of yarn around with them, everyone only allowed to bounce the yarn with their head. And, of course, they had to train, so there were a lot of battles between teammates… Although those always made May a little uncomfortable to watch. Sometimes, in all honesty, she’d focus on something else at these times.

Like that one day, five months into her stretch as active Champion, when her Pikachu – all dressed up in her rock star best – was battling her Grumpig. May – who was particularly close to the Pikachu she’d received in Slateport – was focusing very hard on a book, which Brendan had given her and which happened to be co-written by her friend and his father, the Professor.

“Well! That wasn’t so hard!”

Mid-sentence in her reading, May didn’t even look up. Another trainer too confident after beating the Elite Four… Though that voice tugged at her mind, somehow. May didn’t give it a second thought.

“They weren’t very Elite at all, were they, Aster?”

The book fell to the floor as May suddenly found herself on her feet, staring in shock at…

…Zinnia. _Zinnia_? Could it really be?

“Hey, this isn’t the tear-jerking reunion I expected,” Zinnia said with a grin. “Didn’t you miss me, May?”

Miss her? May had thought of Zinnia almost constantly. She’d worried about, and wished with all her heart to see her again. In a rush, May had fallen in love with Zinnia over those handful of days leading up to saving Hoenn from the meteor. What a feeling that had been… Beneath all her fear about the fate of the world, there had been this surge of raw emotion that grew each time she crossed path with Zinnia, in all her seeming confidence, in all her vulnerability, in all her pure intentions. The note that had been left for May after defeating Deoxys hadfelt very much like the world falling out from under her. And now…

May choked back a sob, not sure where it had come from. She was just so happy, and relieved, and confused. “I did,” she finally got out. After a deep breath, she fought on against the overwhelming emotions. “Did you manage to get your new start?”

“Isn’t that just like you? Making sure everyone’s happy.” Zinnia smile down at her feet. “You know, May, I’m not sure. The thing about new beginnings is sometimes you have to leave too many things behind… Too many people; too many lessons learned. I guess what I really needed to do was look to accept everything… To let go of the pain and the confusion, and just be me. Not Lorekeeper Zinnia, just _Zinnia_.”

May tilted her head. “I think I understand.” But was there a lot of difference between Lorekeeper Zinnia and just Zinnia? This felt like old times to her.

Aster, Zinnia’s Whismur, took that moment to rush over to May, and May smiled as she pet the Pokémon on the head.

“You’re so cute, Aster,” Zinnia laughed. “Did you miss May?”

“Did you?” May asked with sudden reverence, looking up at Zinnia.

Zinnia blinked, thrown for a moment, before laughing again. “What a sweet question! You do know how to touch my heart!”

“I mean it, Zinnia. Because… I thought about you all the time.”

“Woah. Did you, really?”

“Yeah.”

Zinnia closed her eyes and nodded. “I thought about a lot over the past few years, May… I guess I don’t mind telling you that you were on my mind more than most things.” A pause, and Zinnia opened her eyes to look at May. “And I’m not going to disappear on you again.”

“That’s great.” An urge to kiss Zinnia ran through May, but… No. They had a lot of catching up to do before they moved forward like that, if Zinnia would even want to.

The way Zinnia grabbed her an embrace, though, was just as good as any kiss. Friend or girlfriend, Zinnia was so _important_ to May.

All May really needed was the girl back in her life.


End file.
